Page 89 of The Fool
“I like that idea,” he says, looking like a naughty little devil. “You can put on some of my sweats, shower at the hotel, then…er…” He trails off, picking up my hideous dress which I take back with a grimace.
His clothes are absolutely huge on me, but they smell of him, so I enjoy wrapping them around me. As I’m trying to roll up the sleeves, he suddenly gathers me up bridal style and kisses me on the lips, smiling as he places me inside the car. He then gets into the driver’s seat and begins laughing to himself at the same time as switching on the ignition.
“What?”
“Not exactly the ‘I love you’ kind of sex I was imagining,” he explains, “but we can remedy that later.”
“Oh, I don’t know, I’ve weirdly missed asshole boss, Mr Carter,” I tease. “He can come out now and then, can’t he?”
“Oh, fuck yeah,” he replies with laughter in his voice. “Though, he comes hand in hand with Mr Caveman.”
“Well, he’s welcome too…but only in the bedroom!” I raise my eyes to accentuate my point.
“Which bedroom would that be now?” He begins to drive down the gravel track and we’re soon on the main road again. “Cos you are kind of mine now, so maybe we should think about sharing a room?”
“Hmm...I tell you what,” I begin, “what if you clear out a drawer for me and I’ll clear out a drawer for you?”
“For now, Summers,” he relents, “but I gotta say, I’m not crazy about staying at your place with your brother being just down the hall. I think he’d kick my ass if he heard me doing what we just did.”
“Fair enough,” I sigh, “but he is a pilot so you can stay whenever he’s on long haul. I just need to take this one step at a time, Nate.”
“I know, baby,” he says reassuringly at the same time as placing his hand on my knee. “But this,” he says, pointing between me and him, “is a long-term thing, so don’t be surprised if I gradually start moving you into my place.”
And that’s when I truly start believing that all the crap from my past is exactly that - my past. Nate is my future.
Chapter 29
Bea
We made the first dance by the skin of our teeth and even managed to pretend to gush with the other guests, though only when my parents are looking. After that, the night passes by far less dramatically than before, and I feel like I can manage with Nate by my side. He is finding my ridiculous dress rather amusing, especially when it rides up to my bottom, no doubt revealing the color of my panties. However, he is quick to lend a hand if my modesty is under threat. Several of Emma’s bridesmaids eye him up but to my relief, he pays no attention to them. They still look shocked when they realize the great Nathaniel Carter has decided to slum it with Beatrice Summers, the slut who supposedly cheated on Dean.
Halfway through the evening, Emma approaches us with Dean by her side, dampening my good mood once again. I can’t look at her without thinking about Dean’s words from earlier. I still haven’t worked out what to do about it, orifI am going to do anything about it.
“Emma, Dean, this is Nate,” I announce, and they all nod at one another.
“Congratulations,” Nate says to them both, standing up tall to his full six-foot-three height. “I’m –"
“Please, every girl here knows who you are, Nathaniel Carter,” Emma says with a blush and a girlish smile. “You realize every one of them had a mad crush on you back in the day.”
“Er, well, nowadays, I’m a one-woman kind of guy,” he says, looking at me with a gushy expression.
“I can see why,” she says, “that speech was beautiful, Bea, thank you.”
“And thank you for the warning.”
“Sorry,” she giggles, “it was Dean’s idea, he only suggested it at the dinner table.”
“I bet he did.” I glare at him, but he seems too drunk to react in any sort of way.
“So, do you think you two might tie the knot one day?” Emma asks to which Ben almost chokes on his drink.
“Maybe,” Nate replies, shocking me to my core. Even Ben raises his brow in surprise. “If she’d have me of course.”
“Might I have a dance with the sister of the bride?” Dean asks, only adding to my sudden lightheadedness, particularly when everyone looks at him as though he’s gone mad.
“I don’t know if –" I begin, but my little sister cuts me off before I can finish my refusal.
“Oh, yes, do, Bea. Let’s finally put everything in the past so we can become a happy family again. Nate, you can dance with me. You’re not allowed to deny the bride on her wedding day; it’s the law.”